Chapter 10 (Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold)

Many of the United States' and world record rainfalls in the 1- to 24-hour range were established during thunderstorms in __________.

Texas

Important requirements for hail to form are __________.

All of these choices are correct.

In the United States, more lightning deaths occur in __________ than any other state.

Florida

In the United States, total deaths from lightning per decade have __________ since the 1940s.

been decreasing steadily

The basic sequence within a lightning flash includes all but which of the following?

Static electricity builds up within the lower thundercloud and induces identical-polarity charges on the ground.

Thunder is caused by __________.

high temperatures of lightning that flash heat the surrounding air, causing it to expand explosively

A widespread, powerful windstorm with straight-line winds is referred to as a __________.

derecho

The highest wind speeds of any weather phenomenon occur in __________.

tornadoes

The Great Plains region of the Central United States plays host to about __________ percent of the tornadoes that occur on Earth.

70

Conditions necessary to turn an ordinary thunderstorm into a tornado-spinning monster include __________.

All of these choices are correct.

Which of the following types of severe weather results in the highest average annual death toll in the United States?

heat

As rotating winds pull into a tighter and tighter spiral, wind speeds increase due to the conservation of __________.

angular momentum

Which of the following statements is true regarding the formation of tornadoes?

Powerful tornadoes emerge from wall clouds after developing in the mesocyclone.

The main destructive actions of tornadoes include all but which of the following?

A strong high-pressure zone in the center blows buildings apart.

Tornadoes preferentially kill all but which of the following?

teenagers

If you see a tornado or hear a tornado warning, you should take immediate action. Which of the following actions would be a bad choice?

Get under an overpass or bridge.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale __________.

quantifies tornado magnitude based on estimated maximum wind speed

Tornado outbreaks typically occur when a lengthy collision zone forms between __________ results in the formation of many supercell thunderstorms.

a cold front and a high-energy warm air mass

Three tornado outbreaks in the United States during 2011 from 14-16 April, 25-28 April, and 21-27 May each produced tornadoes numbering in the __________.

low triple digits

Tornadoes can and do hit big cities. However, they are hit less often than other areas because big cities are less common in the central part of the United States and __________.

cities are relatively small targets relative to the rest of the region

High humidity during a heat wave is particularly bad because __________.

the evaporation of sweat is slowed

In the United States, severe weather events kill __________ the combined total killed by earthquakes, volcanoes, and mass movements.

more people per year than

From 1977-2016, _________ of severe weather deaths can be tied to winter storms/cold.

17%

The average number of billion dollar weather events increased almost __________ during the last 7 years (2011-2016) as compared to the previous 40 years (1980-2010).

3 times

From 1980-2017, there were __________ billion dollar loses due to weather and climate related disasters.

190

Which of the following can be related to deaths during the January 1998 ice storm in Canada?

All the options are correct.

In 2011 alone, __________ EF-5 tornadoes were documented.

6

During 25-28 April 2011, the largest ever tornado outbreak occurred, producing __________ tornadoes in 21 states.

358

During the 21-27 May 2011 tornado outbreak, 160 people died in ___________.

Joplin, MO

Warning signs of hyperthermia include high body temperature, mental confusion, fainting, and dry skin with a rapid or slow pulse.

true

The urban heat island effect creates a high-pressure cell over a city.

false

Descending warm air increases the fire risk in an area by drying potential fuel for the fire since the air has a low relative humidity.

true

Severe weather causes about _________ of the yearly deaths and damages from natural disasters.

75%

If you are caught outside in a lightning storm, it is better to lie down flat on the ground with your arms extended than it is to squat down on the balls of your feet while covering your ears with your hands.

false

Lightning can move between clouds and within a single cloud; it does not have to move between the clouds and the ground.

true

A building destroyed by a tornado likely lost its roof before the walls were knocked over.

true

A hook echo in the radar imagery of a supercell thunderstorm indicates the storm is no longer capable of producing tornadoes.

false

A difference between a single-cell thunderstorm and a supercell thunderstorm is the latter is tilted.

true

In the last 10 years (2007-2016), there has been an increase in the average tornado related deaths compared to the average of the previous 30 years (1987-2016).

true

The year 2005 holds the record for the most dollar losses at $215 billion.

false

From 1950-2016, Texas recorded the most tornado-related deaths.

false

During the tornado outbreak of 14-16 April 2011, Alabama reported the most tornado-related deaths.

false

Tornado damages from the 25-28 April 2011 tornado outbreak reached $11 billion.

true

Adiabatic cooling occurs when an air mass _________.

rises and expands

In the Northern Hemisphere, severe winter weather in the midlatitudes is driven mostly by __________; these are air masses rotating counterclockwise about a low-pressure core.

cyclones

In March, 1993, an immense cyclone called the "Storm of the Century" wreaked havoc all along the eastern part of North America. This storm was so powerful because __________.

three air masses collided and were carried along by the jet stream

Thunderstorms occur where warm, moist air has absorbed enough heat and moisture to be significantly __________ than the surrounding air.

less dense

Thunderstorms wreak havoc with _________.

All of these choices are correct.

The state in the United States with the most days of thunderstorms in a typical year is __________.

Florida